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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29110938">The First Day</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomewhereFictional/pseuds/SomewhereFictional'>SomewhereFictional</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>He Calls It Research [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Benedict Cumberbatch- Fandom, British Actor RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Benedict Cumberbatch - Freeform, F/M, Pre-Episode: s01e01 A Study in Pink, Slow Burn, eventually, minor sherlock spoilers, pre sherlock s1, very slow, what if he did research before playing sherlock</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 03:54:39</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,009</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29110938</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomewhereFictional/pseuds/SomewhereFictional</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Ellen finds out that her team's been picked to babysit Benedict while he does his research.</p><p>AU. Set before Sherlock series one.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Benedict Cumberbatch/Original Female Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>He Calls It Research [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2135925</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The Set Up</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It's obvious to everyone in the room that the meeting with the chief inspector didn't go well.</p><p>The boss is seething, her jaw clenched hard enough to make the tendons in her neck stand out. And she doesn't say a word when she comes in, closing the door behind her with an aggressive backhander.</p><p>Jensen and Monroe look at each other, communicating via eyebrow in that way of theirs, no doubt egging the other on to find out what happened upstairs.</p><p>Mel wants to tell them off, remind them that it's never a good idea to get in McLean's way when she's silent, but she keeps her mouth shut. Instead she glares at them both, and drags a finger along her throat.</p><p>Unsurprisingly, the pair ignore her.</p><p>Mel suppresses a sigh. She knows why they want to know what happened with the meeting. There have been rumours circulating recently about the Chief Super visiting the station, some less plausible than others, but it didn't seem likely that anybody who hadn't been in that room would be privy to the information discussed.</p><p>Until now, that is, and Mel is torn between considering asking McLean herself what's going on so she can go down the hall and tell the other CID team that the Chief didn't win the lottery and is buying out the building, and not wanting to find out if that's actually true.</p><p>But before she can make a decision, the boss quits glaring at the murder board and turns her back on it to face the team, instead.</p><p>"The rumours are true," McLean says, when they've stopped pretending to be busy with work. "The Chief Superintendent did come to the station last week."</p><p>She stops, takes a breath. Unclenches her hands by her sides.</p><p>"Starting in the morning, an actor's going to be shadowing us for a month for research."</p><p>Mel blinks. The other two don't immediately react either.</p><p>So no lottery win or refurbishment. No firings or replacements.</p><p>An actor.</p><p>For a month.</p><p>"Obviously I'm not happy about this," McLean carries on, and rolls her eyes. "But someone up the food chain decided this was a good idea and I've had it pointed out to me that since it's already been decided, I can't do a thing about it."</p><p>"So that's it?" Monroe is first to recover. "This actor's just going to follow us about and we're supposed to tell them stuff?"</p><p>"That's exactly it," McLean replies. "For four weeks he gets to follow us to crime scenes and sit in this room and watch us do our job."</p><p>Another silence follows that bleak forecast, then Jensen breaks it. "Bagsy I'm not driving him."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. In At The Deep End</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Benedict meets Ellen.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He feels like it's his first day of school all over again. Except he's the new kid and everybody else already knows each other. And are all police officers.</p><p>Benedict tries to push that thought away, and keeps his eyes on Detective Chief Inspector Taylor's back as they navigate the staircases and clusters of police officers who all seem to be on a break at the same time.</p><p>It doesn't matter that he's a fully grown adult, and has made a decent go of acting since finishing his training; the sensation is unsettling. He feels like everybody is watching him.</p><p>He's going to have nightmares about this for weeks.</p><p>"Here we are." Taylor has stopped outside one of the last door in the hallway. The nameplate says CID, but someone has thoughtfully stuck a strip of silver duct tape across and scrawled 'Beware' in its place.</p><p>Taylor mutters something Benedict can't make out and is about to tear off the tape just before his mobile starts to ring.</p><p>"I need to get this," Taylor says, peering at the screen. "Just go through. One of them should be in by now."</p><p>And with that, Taylor retreats, leaving Benedict alone outside the room that says 'Beware' on the door.</p><p>He takes a deep breath, and then another when the first doesn't make him feel any better. He's suddenly regretting letting Mark talk him into this ride-along.</p><p>"It's not real," says a voice behind him, and he starts. When he turns round, it's to find a woman who looks a lot younger than he'd expected a police officer to look, watching him eyeing the warning on the door, a bundle of folders in her arms and a polystyrene cup balanced precariously on top. </p><p>Benedict blinks, his face heating up. "I'm sorry?"</p><p>"The beware thing," she says, gesturing to it with a nod. "Well, it might be, but I'm hardly a reliable source since I work on the other side."</p><p>Ah, shit.</p><p>There's the slightest of smirks on her face, then it's gone. "I take it you're the actor."</p><p>"Benedict."</p><p>"Ellen McLean," she replies, and it's clear enough she's making her assessment of the actor her bosses have stuck her with. After a couple of seconds, she shifts, probably from the weight of all the paper she's carrying, and meets his eye. "Two rules. One: don't piss me off. And two: if you do you, you'll regret it."</p><p>Benedict blinks, can't think of anything to say. Is she serious?</p><p>"Good." Ellen, apparently, has taken his lack of challenge as acceptance. "Now can you open the door so I can put all this stuff down before I pull a muscle?"</p><p>Purely on autopilot Benedict takes a step forward and pushes open the door to the office beyond. Ellen passes him and heads for the desk in the corner closest to the window, and carefully sets the load down to keep from spilling whatever's in the cup on top.</p><p>Taylor did tell him that there might be some teething problems for the first couple of days, but two warnings in the space of five minutes is a bit much. First the beware, and then Ellen's implied threat of- something.</p><p>He's glad she didn't go into specifics. If he keeps his head down and gets the month over with, he'll never have to find out what exactly she'd been thinking.</p>
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